Three Valley Players Selected for France Soccer Tournament
John Ortega of Birmingham High, Greg Avila of Kennedy and Abdullah Safdari of Chatsworth are headed to France this summer to play in a youth soccer tournament in conjunction with World Cup ’98.
They will be on a nine-player team representing Los Angeles in a tournament that includes teenage soccer players from 22 countries. The L.A. team will be the only one from the United States.
The tournament is scheduled July 1-12 in Saint-Denis, France, site of the World Cup. The competition involves players 15 to 18 from countries such as Russia, Brazil, Germany and Argentina.
Erwan de Kerautem, a diplomat at the French Consulate in Los Angeles, said tournament participants will attend a World Cup quarterfinal or semifinal match.
“I’m still excited,” said Ortega, who learned of his selection last week. “I’m standing on the edge. My dream is to be on the field playing, but it’s going to be a great experience to see World Cup players.”
The team was selected by coaches and L.A. Unified School District administrators. The players come from different parts of the city and represent Los Angeles’ ethnic diversity. They were chosen based on soccer skills, academic standing and character.
Also chosen to the team were Michael Blazevic of San Pedro, Jorge Sanchez of University, Art Torres of Banning, Mark Jimenez of Venice, Luis Orellana of Belmont and Henri Rivas of Locke.
FOOTBALL
Garrett Lepisto of Agoura High is among the top players who will participate in the Ventura County Football Combine today at Rio Mesa High in Oxnard.
Seventy-six players from 16 Ventura County high schools will participate in the combine, which starts at 4:30, and will test players in such skills as the 40-yard dash, 185-pound bench press, shuttle run and vertical jump. More than 30 college coaches are expected to attend.
There are no guarantees that a good individual performance translates into a college scholarship. Last year, Chris Poling of Agoura ran a 4.4 40-yard time at a combine, but he didn’t receive a scholarship. He is walking on at UCLA.
When last seen on a football field, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Lepisto chased down running back Justin Fargas of Notre Dame in Agoura’s playoff loss to the Knights last fall.
“He’s the kind of guy who needs this exposure,” Agoura Coach Charlie Wegher said.
